Footwear adornment, system for accessorizing footwear, and methods therefor

ABSTRACT

An adornment for an article of footwear having a forefoot portion that includes a thong portion adapted to be positioned between a wearer&#39;s toes, and a forefoot cover connected to the thong portion. The adornment includes a clip that has a legged structure having a pair of spaced apart legs, or elongate extensions, adapted to straddle a portion of the footwear and a mount supported relative to the elongate extensions. The adornment also includes a decorative accessory disposed on the mount and may be adapted to releasably engage the mount.

BACKGROUND

Sandals, thongs, and flip-flops, as they are known, are a very popularform of casual footwear. There are many different styles of sandals;however, in general, they include a sole and a forefoot portion thatincludes a thong connecting the sole to a forefoot cover. This type offootwear is a sanitary, inexpensive, and comfortable alternative togoing barefoot. Sandals are particularly popular for beachgoers andaround the pool to protect the wearer's feet from rocks and heat.

This simple form of footwear has been around for thousands of years. Itis believed that sandals were originally made of wood and woven fiber.Sandals have been developed over the years to include new materials suchas rubber, plastic, and cloth. These materials have allowed designers toadd colors and patterns to the sandals in an effort to make theirversion of the footwear unique. Even still, the simple structure of thesandal means that it is difficult to distinguish among sandals.

People like to be different and as such they find various ways toaccessorize themselves with jewelry, clothing, tattoos, hairstyles,sunglasses, and footwear. In the past footwear has been an accessory inand of itself. Some styles of footwear are further accessorized byadding brightly colored shoe laces, for example. Another more recentexample of accessorizing footwear are Jibbitz® that fit into the ventopenings on the popular plastic clogs known as Crocs®. Jibbitz® arequite useful in accessorizing this type of footwear, however they areparticular to the Crocs® construction and therefore are not applicableto sandals.

Accordingly, there is a need for a means to conveniently accessorizesandals. Furthermore, there is a need for a system that allows one tointerchange the accessory to match the occasion and/or the wearer'smood.

SUMMARY

Provided herein is an adornment for an article of footwear having aforefoot portion that includes a thong portion adapted to be positionedbetween a wearer's toes, and a forefoot cover connected to the thongportion. The adornment includes a clip that has a legged structurehaving a pair of spaced apart legs, or elongate extensions, adapted tostraddle a portion of the footwear and a mount supported relative to theelongate extensions. The adornment also includes a decorative accessorydisposed on the mount and may be adapted to releasably engage the mount.A system for accessorizing footwear may include a set of decorativeaccessories that are interchangeably attachable to the mount.

The clip is adapted to releasably engage the forefoot portion in acaptured state where the legs straddle the thong portion and the mountis seated on the forefoot cover. Each elongate extension may include astop portion. In general, the elongate extensions extend arcuatelyaround a portion of the footwear. The legged structure may be integrallyformed from a unitary piece of material.

Preferably, the decorative accessory includes a fastener sized andadapted to mate with a relief that is formed through an upper surface ofthe mount. The relief is formed through an upper surface of the mountalong an open-ended contour to form a tongue shaped tab that is adaptedto upwardly bias the fastener. The relief may also be configured so thatthe fastener snaps into the relief. The decorative accessory may beadapted to movably or rotatably engage the mount. The decorativeaccessory may also overhang at least a portion of the mount.

Also contemplated is a method for accessorizing footwear includingreleasably attaching a clip to the footwear in a captured state whereinat least a portion of the clip straddles a first portion of the footwearand releasably supporting a first decorative accessory on the clip suchthat the first decorative accessory is seated on a second portion of thefootwear that is joined to the first portion. The first decorativeaccessory may be removed and replaced with a second decorativeaccessory.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an adornment according to afirst exemplary embodiment attached to an article of footwear in thecaptured state;

FIG. 2 is a side-view in elevation of the adornment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a an enlarged side-view in elevation of the adornment shown inFIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the adornment shown in FIGS.1-3 with an exemplary alternate construction of the decorativeaccessory;

FIG. 5 is a top plan-view of the mount illustrating the contour of therelief and tab;

FIG. 6 is a side-view in partial cross-section of the adornment shown inFIG. 5 taken about line 6-6;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side-view in partial cross-section illustratingthe partial engagement of the decorative accessory with the mount;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view in partial cross-section illustratingthe decorative accessory fully engaged with the mount;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an adornment according to the firstexemplary embodiment illustrating another exemplary alternateconstruction of the decorative accessory; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an adornment according to a secondexemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Provided herein is an adornment for an article of footwear. Theadornment includes a clip that has a legged structure having a pair ofspaced apart legs, or elongate extensions, adapted to straddle a portionof the footwear and a mount supported relative to the elongateextensions. The adornment also includes a decorative accessory adaptedto releasably engage the mount. Also, provided is a system foraccessorizing footwear that includes a set of interchangeable decorativeaccessories.

FIG. 1 shows an adornment according to a first exemplary embodimentattached to an article of footwear in the captured state. In this case,the article of footwear is a sandal 10. Sandal 10 includes a sole 6 anda forefoot portion, which includes forefoot cover 4 and thong portion 2.Adornment 20 engages the forefoot portion in a captured state bystraddling thong portion 2 and seating on forefoot cover 4.

With further reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 it can be seen that adornment 20includes a clip 50 which includes legged structure 40 and mount 30.Decorative accessory 22 is attached to mount 30 with fastener 24. Inthis case decorative accessory 22 resembles a bow. One ordinarilyskilled in the art will readily recognize that decorative accessory 22may take many forms. For example, decorative accessory 22 could resemblea flower 322 (see FIG. 4), a pinwheel, and various animals, to name justa few. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, decorative accessory 122 maytake on the theme of various holidays and/or special occasions. In thisconstruction the decorative accessory 122 includes a pair of flags whichmay represent a patriotic holiday such as the Fourth of July, forexample. It should also be recognized that a system for accessorizingfootwear may include a set of decorative accessories, interchangeablyattachable to mount 30. The set may include one or more decorativeaccessories, such as those mentioned above.

As perhaps best shown in FIG. 4, legged-structure 40 includes a pair ofelongate extensions, or legs 44, which extend arcuately from proximalend portions 43 to distal end portions 45. Elongate extensions 44 arejoined and spaced apart by crossbar 46. Distal end portions 45 terminatewith end-stops 42. Elongate extensions 44 extend arcuately aroundforefoot cover 4 of sandal 10. End-stops 42 help to retain clip 50 inthe captured state. Elongate extensions 44 support mount 30 aboveforefoot cover 4. In this embodiment it can be seen that leggedstructure 40 may be formed from a unitary piece of material, such aswire. Mount 30 may be attached to legged structure 40 by bonding with asuitable adhesive, for example. Alternatively, where mount 30 is formedof plastic it may be molded onto legged structure 40.

FIG. 5 illustrates mount 30 as viewed from above. Mount 30 includesrelief 34 formed through upper surface 32. Relief 34 extends along anopen-ended contour to form tongue-shaped tab 36. Relief 34 includes awaist portion 38 sized such that fastener 24 may be snapped in placethereby releasably engaging the decorative accessory 22. Fastener 24includes spaced apart buttons 26 and 28 with neck 29 extendingtherebetween. Buttons 26 and 28 are spaced apart to accommodate bothwall 32 and decoration 22.

With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 it can be appreciated how fastener 24engages relief 34. FIG. 7 illustrates decorative accessory 22 partiallyengaged onto mount 30. Fastener 24 is pressed into relief 34 displacingtab 36 downwardly. This allows button 28 to slide below upper wall 32.It should also be noted that neck 29 is sized to snap past waist portion38. In this embodiment mount 30 includes an upper wall 32, a lower wall31, and a surrounding sidewall 33 extending therebetween to enclose aninterior 35. Preferably, mount 30 is sized such that decorativeaccessory 22 obscures at least a portion of mount 30. As in this case,mount 30 may be formed of a stiff yet resilient material such asplastic. This resiliency provides an upwardly biasing force to beapplied to fastener 24. As shown in FIG. 8, where fastener 24 is fullyengaged in relief 34, tab 36 urges fastener 24 upwardly providing aclearance for decorative accessory 22. This clearance allows thedecoration to freely move or rotate about neck 29. So, for instancewhere decorative accessory 22 is a pinwheel, the decoration is allowedto spin with movement of the wearer's foot or wind. Alternatively, itmay be desirable in other situations to fix decorative item 22 in agiven position. In such case fastener 24 may be fixed to the decorativeaccessory.

FIG. 10 illustrates an adornment 220 according to a second exemplaryembodiment. In this embodiment clip 250 includes mount 230, which issupported by elongate extensions 240. Decorative accessory 222 isdisposed on mount 230. In this embodiment clip 250 is integrally formedof a unitary material. Clip 250 may be formed of any suitable materialsuch as plastic or metal. While decorative accessory 222 is shown hereas detachable, one ordinarily skilled in the art will recognize that itmay also be integrally disposed on mount 230.

With the foregoing in mind, a method is also contemplated foraccessorizing footwear. The method broadly includes releasably attachinga clip to the footwear in a captured state wherein at least a portion ofthe clip straddles a first portion of the footwear and releasablysupporting a first decorative accessory on the clip such that said firstdecorative accessory is seated on a second portion of the footwear thatis joined to the first portion.

Accordingly, the present invention has been described with some degreeof particularity directed to the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention. It should be recognized, however, that the present inventionis defined by the following claims construed in light of the prior artso that modifications or changes may be made to the exemplaryembodiments of the present invention without departing from theinventive concepts contained herein.

1. An adornment for footwear, comprising: a) a pair of elongateextensions adapted to straddle a portion of the footwear; b) a mountsupported relative to said elongate extensions; and c) a decorativeaccessory disposed on said mount.
 2. An adornment according to claim 1wherein each elongate extension includes a stop portion.
 3. An adornmentaccording to claim 1 including a relief formed through an upper surfaceof said mount.
 4. An adornment according to claim 3 wherein saiddecorative accessory includes a fastener sized and adapted to mate withsaid relief.
 5. An adornment according to claim 1 wherein saiddecorative accessory is adapted to releasably engage said mount.
 6. Anadornment according to claim 5 wherein said decorative accessory isadapted to movably engage said mount.
 7. An adornment according to claim1 wherein said decorative accessory overhangs at least a portion of saidmount.
 8. An adornment according to claim 1 wherein said elongateextensions extend arcuately around a portion of the footwear.
 9. Anadornment for an article of footwear that includes a forefoot portionhaving a thong portion adapted to be positioned between a wearer's toesand a forefoot cover connected to the thong portion, said adornmentcomprising: a) a clip including a legged structure having a pair ofspaced apart legs and a mount supported by said legged structure, saidclip adapted to releasably engage the forefoot portion in a capturedstate wherein said legs straddle the thong portion and said mount isseated on the forefoot cover; and b) a decorative accessory adapted toreleasably engage said mount.
 10. An adornment according to claim 9wherein said decorative accessory includes a fastener.
 11. An adornmentaccording to claim 10 including a relief formed through an upper surfaceof said mount along an open-ended contour to form a tongue shaped tab.12. An adornment according to claim 9 wherein said legged structure isintegrally formed from a unitary piece of material.
 13. A system foraccessorizing footwear that includes a forefoot portion, comprising: a)means for releasably attaching a clip to the forefoot portion; and b)means for releasably supporting a decorative accessory on said clip suchthat said decorative accessory is situated above the forefoot portion.14. A system for accessorizing footwear according to claim 13 includingmeans for movably supporting said decorative accessory on said clip. 15.A system for accessorizing footwear according to claim 14 includingmeans for rotatably supporting said decorative accessory on said clip.16. A system for accessorizing footwear, comprising: a) a clip includinga pair of elongate extensions configured to straddle a thong portion ofthe footwear, and a mount secured above said extensions for positioningon a forefoot cover of the footwear; and b) at least one decorativeaccessory adapted to releasably engage said mount.
 17. A system foraccessorizing footwear according to claim 16 wherein said decorativeaccessory includes a fastener.
 18. A system for accessorizing footwearaccording to claim 17 including a relief formed through an upper surfaceof said mount along an open-ended contour to form a tongue-shaped tabadapted to upwardly bias said fastener.
 19. A system for accessorizingfootwear according to claim 18 wherein said relief is configured so thatsaid fastener snaps into said relief.
 20. A system for accessorizingfootwear according to claim 18 including a set of decorative accessoriesinterchangeably attachable to said mount.
 21. A method for accessorizingfootwear, comprising: a) releasably attaching a clip to the footwear ina captured state wherein at least a portion of said clip straddles afirst portion of the footwear; and b) releasably supporting a firstdecorative accessory on said clip such that said first decorativeaccessory is seated on a second portion of the footwear that is joinedto the first portion.
 22. A method according to claim 21 includingremoving said first decorative accessory and releasably supporting asecond decorative accessory on said clip.
 23. A method according toclaim 21 wherein said clip includes a mount and comprising situatingsaid mount on said second portion when in the captured state.